Friday, October 30, 2009

Book Inspection: The Hollow by Jessica Verday

Plot Sketch: It's hard to sketch this for you without spoiling it, but here goes. Abbey just found out that her best friend - her only friend - Kristen has died. She's in a rut. She goes through life seeing just how much void is there. They haven't found Kristen's body, so even though there was a funeral, closure eludes her. She's doing what she can to make it through with two very supportive parents. She notices a boy at Kristen's funeral, and then sees him again at her wake. She is intrigued by him, and the story goes on about how Abbey moves on with her life and her new definition of normal, with a lot of paranormal twists and turns some of which are expected and some of which are not.

Verdict: I Heart It. BUT. This is a total first book in the series. There is a lot of setup for the rest of the story, and not a lot of action for a 500 pager (those 500 pages ARE double spaced though). That doesn't make it bad though. In fact, I'm really really really (yeah, I put 3 reallys in there) looking forward to the next installment of Abbey and Caspian. I've seen a lot of negative reviews out there, and I can tell you that I understand why they feel that way. Knowing there is more to the story is key to you wanting to keep reading.

The Gauntlet:

At what location does most of the story take place?

Sleepy Hollow, New York

What is the main character's name?

Abigail Browning

Does I Heart Monster like the main character?

Yes and No. I don't relate to Abbey, but I do like her, and she's totally believable.

How long did it take I Heart Monster to finish the book?

a bit... I kept getting interrupted by my 4-year-old neice.

Did I Heart Monster get stuck at any points in the book? If so, why?

none

Is this a good read for Monster?

I put it in the pile for him!

What, if anything, would I Heart Monster change to make the book more interesting?

Maybe a little more interpersonal conflict... there seemed to be a lot of internal conflict for Abbey, but not much significant conflict with others. It seemed like she waited for a lot to happen rather than making stuff happen for herself.